Can You Substitute Olive Oil for Vegetable Oil in Brownies?

We are all familiar with such situation. After getting started on the brownies, you notice that you are missing an essential ingredient. Whether you are out of eggs, have no chocolate, or have the incorrect sort of oil, there will be times when you will need to be creative.

However, what about a more straightforward problem, such as the fact that your brownie recipe calls for vegetable oil but you only have olive oil on hand? Are the two different oils compatible with one another?

Is it possible to replace the vegetable oil in the brownies with olive oil instead? Let’s find out!

What is Olive Oil?

First things first: before we get into how oils may be used and what other oils can be substituted for them, let’s have a look at what each oil truly is. The fruit of an olive tree is used in the production of olive oil.

Olive trees start producing olives when they are between five and twelve years old, and some olive trees may live to be over two thousand years old while still producing olives that are fit for human consumption.

After the olives have been harvested, they are rinsed, and then either huge stones or steel blades are used to smash them. After that, the olive paste is stirred in order to extract the oil.

Olive oil is extracted from olives by first spinning them in a huge centrifuge to remove any surplus water. What is left behind after this process is olive oil.

What is Vegetable Oil?

Unlike vegetable oil, which may be derived from a wide range of sources, olive oil can only be produced from the fruit of the olive tree. The word “vegetable oil” refers to any oil that has been pressed from a vegetable source, including fruits, seeds, cereals, and nuts.

The most often used components of vegetable oil include rapeseeds, soybeans, maize, sunflowers, safflowers, peanuts, and palm kernels. Other common components are safflowers and sunflowers. However, most specialized brands will have their own unique mix that they utilize to generate a product that is consistent across all of their offerings. A vegetable oil may be any combination of these elements.

First, the vegetables are crushed to release the oil, and then the resulting mixture is heated with a chemical known as hexane, which assists in the release of the remaining oil. This is the process by which vegetable oil is produced. Before the oil is packed for sale, it goes through a process called refining, during which it is cleaned with bleach and deodorized. Impurities are also removed at this step.

The Purpose of Vegetable Oil in Brownies

Think about the function of the vegetable oil in the brownies you’re making before you decide which oil works best for them and whether or not you can substitute one for the other.

To begin, the major source of fat in brownies is oil. This fat not only makes the brownies gooey and mushy, but it also keeps the mixture from clumping together. If you want your brownies to have a velvety texture and a rich flavor, you need fat!

The rich chocolate flavor of the brownies will be able to come through thanks to the vegetable oil, which has a rather mild flavor in comparison to other oils. It is also recommended to use vegetable oil since, unlike butter, it does not cause the batter to become airy, and it contributes to the fudgy texture of brownies rather than a cakey one.

Can You Make Brownies with Olive Oil?

In response to the primary inquiry at hand, the appropriate response is “yes.” When baking brownies, you may use olive oil for the vegetable oil called for in the recipe. When substituting olive oil for vegetable oil, use the same amount of olive oil as is called for in the recipe.

Both oils have the same density, hence their respective measurements should be identical. However, you should be aware of the ramifications, both positive and negative, that will result from making this replacement.

Benefits of Using Olive Oil

There are a few benefits that come along with making brownies using olive oil instead of butter. To begin, olive oil is a much better choice than vegetable oil for your health. Because olive oil comes from a single food, olives, you will always be aware of precisely what components are present in the olive oil that you are using.

When producing olive oil, only time-honored, hand-grinding techniques are used; no chemicals are used in the process at any point. This makes the production of olive oil far less harsh.

Olive oil also contains a lot of healthy nutrients, unlike vegetable oil. It is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which research has shown to be beneficial to your health, and it contains a high concentration of these acids.

If you use olive oil instead of vegetable oil in your brownies, then each of these advantages will be baked right into the finished product.

Downsides of Using Olive Oil for Brownies

As was said before, vegetable oil has a flavor that is quite inoffensive and unremarkable, which means that you will not be able to identify its presence in the brownies that you are eating. Olive oil, on the other hand, has a more robust and pronounced flavor, which may be detectable in the brownies as a result of using olive oil.

When olive oil is used in baked products, it imparts a flavor that many people find to be somewhat bitter. This is something that you do not want to experience with your brownies. To prevent this from happening, it is best to cook using a lighter olive oil rather than one that is extra virgin.

Additionally, make it a priority to get a reputable brand of oil. Olive oils that are sold at lower prices often have a stronger flavor than olive oils produced by more well-known companies.

When discussing different brands of olive oil, one thing to keep in mind is that the cost of olive oil and vegetable oil is relatively different. Olive oil is far more costly than vegetable oil, and using olive oil in your brownie recipe will almost surely drive up the total price.

Bear this in mind when you scoop out a few teaspoons of that high-end olive oil to include into the mixture for your brownies.

Other Oil Options

There are a few other kinds of oil that you may use instead of olive oil in the brownies if you don’t want to use vegetable oil but olive oil doesn’t seem like the perfect brownie fat for you.

Baking using corn oil or canola oil, both of which are extremely popular, will result in brownies with the same texture and flavor as baking with vegetable oil. They are not overpowering in flavor and are not pricey, making them ideal for use in brownie baking.

However, using coconut oil may give your brownies a hint of a coconut flavor, which may not be to your liking (although chocolate and coconut are a delicious combo). Coconut oil is an excellent oil to test.

There is always the reliable option of using butter as the fat component of your brownie recipe. Bear in mind that the use of butter may result in the brownies having more of a cake-like texture as opposed to a fudgy texture. This should be avoided at all costs.

It is not a problem at all if you are in the midst of making brownies but realize that you only have a bottle of olive oil on hand; you are more than welcome to substitute olive oil for the other oil in the recipe. However, make sure you keep all of these things in mind so that the brownies that come out of the oven turn out precisely like you imagined they would!

Happy baking!

FAQs

What happens if you make brownies with olive oil?

If you use olive oil in place of vegetable oil in your brownie recipe, the finished product will have a fruity flavor with a hint of bitterness that pairs well with chocolate. When looking for a suitable alternative to olive oil, you may wish to choose one with a more subdued flavor so that the brownies are not overpowered by the oil’s taste.

What can I use in my brownies instead of vegetable oil?

You are more than welcome to use butter in the place of the vegetable oil. Follow the recipe exactly, using the same amount that is called for (for instance, if it says to use a third of a cup of oil, use five and a third tablespoons of butter). First, bring it to a boil, and then set it aside to cool down.

What happens when you use olive oil instead of vegetable oil for baking?

Olive oil is a delicious and healthy alternative that may be used in place of vegetable oil in almost any dessert recipe. The taste will be more complex and nuanced, and the finished product will also be far better for your health. Experimenting with this alternative in dishes like brownies, which usually call for vegetable oil, is a fantastic idea.

Do brownies taste good with olive oil?

Because of this, they are a favorite recipe for dairy-free brownies (more on this later). Olive oil has a fruity, nutty, and ever-so-slightly bitter quality to it, and because of this, it is a fantastic flavor complement to chocolate. Chocolate and olive oil are a match made in heaven. Brownies made with olive oil provide a texture that is between between rich and fudgy.

Can you use olive oil for Betty Crocker brownies?

We suggest that you use a light or extra light olive oil when baking brownies because these olive oils have been highly refined and have a flavor that is closer to being neutral. This means that using a light olive oil is less likely to affect both the flavor and the consistency of your brownies. Extra light olive oil has been refined even further than light olive oil.

Can you use extra virgin olive oil in brownies?

Since olive oil has the same density as other oils, you do not need to adjust the measurements or do any conversions when using it in brownies. On the other hand, if you were to use another kind of oil instead, this would need you to do so. However, using olive oil in the recipe may result in a different flavor profile.